Keeping Your Gardens Alive During Drought

Gardening is one of the most pleasant and useful activities, and it is an occupation that has ensured our survival on this planet starting tens of thousands of years ago, when people first realized they could tame both plant and animal in order to avoid starvation. However, today gardening is for most people a hobby, and few people grow for foods as well. Growing flowers, fruits or vegetables is the kind of hobby that relaxes and calms you, and it can also have the advantage of giving you organic produce if you choose to grow that way. In the past, one of people’s worst fears was drought, because it could ruin all the crops and thus deprive them of winter supplies. So how do we face this problem today? How can we keep our gardens alive during drought? If you are struggling with this dilemma, you will, you will find out gardening ideas to be very useful.

You may think that keeping gardens alive during drought is no longer a problem today, because no matter what we still manage to get access to water. But there can be several issues with this conclusion, like the fact that local authorities may decide to ask everyone to be extremely frugal about their water consumption, which means forbidding them to water their lawns and gardens. And then there are those who have big gardens, with both flowers and vegetables, and the latter really need a lot of water in order to produce quality vegetables or fruits.

Fortunately, solutions can be found as well, and it is possible for us to still keep our gardens alive when water is scarce with just a few tips and advices:

Plant similar crops together – One of the best gardening ideas that implies using less water is to plant similar plants next to each other. Of course, this means you have to do some research and really get to know your garden and the plants you are interested in having. If you fear droughts come to your area in the summer, then you may need to plan your garden accordingly. Although it could mean that you have to give up on certain plants that you had set your mind on, it is better to plant something you know you can grow rather than feeling disappointed that you tormented a plant for nothing. Moreover, gardening like this is more ecological and friendly, and you can plant leafy greens together, or you can pair plants that attract or repel certain bugs.

Choose less pretentious plants – Whether you grow flowers or food or both, you need to go for the ones that are more resistant to periods without water. Even though you still water them every few days, planting veggies like zucchinis, eggplants, peppers or carrots will spare some of your water, and they will still grow to be delicious and allow you to cook with your own products.

Make the beds well – How you plant your veggies and flowers is also essential to their growing; you need to make sure that your beds are dug and fertilized deep enough, so the plants will feel encouraged to grow their roots downward instead of growing them towards the surface where they find nutrients. Exposed roots get burned and the plant dies, but if the soil is well prepared, both water and nutrients are stored in it for a longer time.

Irrigation is vital – The way you irrigate your garden could save your plants during drought. Unless you can afford automatized irrigation systems, you need to deal with this process yourself, by hand. On that note you need to know that the best times to water your plants are either in the morning or late in the evening, when the sun is not so hot. This means that the water won’t evaporate before reaching the roots and the plants won’t get burned. It is of course also up to you to find out more about the plants in your garden and what is best for them in matters of watering.

As you can see, it is not impossible to keep your gardens alive during harsh climate extremes; your flowers can keep their colors and perfume and your vegetables and fruits can still be sweet and flavorful. Love your garden with care and it will love you back.